A sampling of photo stories

So in the genre of working in photo stories, professionally I work a lot in journalism. …But then, you know, I can't leave, I can't leave it alone just at work, I …bring that home too. I'm always taking pictures, and in the …last two years, (LAUGH), I my girlfriend at the time, my wife now, she had some …back problems. And, I, I went to the hospital and …photographed her, you know, getting ready for surgery and getting prepped. …And then going into surgery and then coming out and the whole process, cause I …just can't stop taking pictures. And even when I'm doing something like …that, is that, I'm still thinking of making it into a narrative.…

What picture I need at the beginning, what picture do I need at the end, what …do I need in the middle? You know, what kind of filler elements do …I want to make visually more interesting? You know, and then, also I've got a …stepdaughter and she's in this really cool community garden program in Pennsylvania. …And, I do all the photographs for that, and, you know, when we have our, we have …

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Author

Released

7/26/2013

Paul Taggart, whose work has appeared in publications such the New York Times and National Geographic, has photographed dozens of photo essays—from stories of civil unrest in faraway lands to a kid's first camping trip. Here, he discusses the key concepts behind great photojournalism: the types of photos that make up a photo essay, the research and planning that goes into shooting one, and the art of sequencing the final shots in a way that tells the story. He also talks about the prospects for storytellers in the Internet age, and shows examples of photo essays that he has shot for major magazines and for his own personal projects.